The Kestrel 4000 / 5000 series can log data while the unit is turned off. This is a powerful feature for those needing data logged over time while preserving battery life.
Setting it up:
Turn the unit on, hit the power button again, scroll down 'memory options', and all the functions are in the easy menu. Be sure the auto log is set to 'on'...
Choosing store rate:
Interval store rate options: 2s, 5s, 10s, 20s, 30s, 1m, 2m, 5m, 10m, 20m, 30m, 1hr, 2hr, 6hr, & 12hr.
With the Auto Log on, and the meter off, the only interval it won't work in is 2-5 second intervals. The reason being, the time the unit takes to turn the functions on, take a reading and turn off, is about 5 seconds, so it won't work. All other interval data reading options will function.
To see the options, hit power button to menu, then memory options...
** For any WBGT Meter: Logging while OFF is disabled for log rates of less than 10 seconds. Logging of Heat Stress measurements (Black Globe, NWB, WBGT, TWL, HLI, AHLU) is disabled (measurements are logged as “invalid”) for log rates of less than 10 minutes. Heat stress measurements will be logged when the log rate is 10 minutes or greater.
**K5400AG has a limited number of log rates. These are: 10 minutes, 20 minutes, 30 minutes, 1 hour
How does it work/How long will it continue to log data?
Basically, the unit will go to sleep, it wakes up... takes reading then goes back to sleep. The screen will NOT power up, it's all done within the unit itself. The intentional reason behind not having the screen turn on is to save battery life. While it hasn't 'officially' been tested for the life a battery, power out calculations estimate that a Kestrel meter with a full battery could take a log at 1 hour intervals for up to 1 year!
How many data logs can be stored?
It varies from meter to meter, but here's some stats.Kestrel 4000: 4000 Data points
Kestrel 4500: 2900 Data points
Kestrel 4200 & 4250: 3200 Data points
Kestrel 4300: 3600 Data points
Kestrel 4400: roughly... 2000+ Data points (WBGT can not be logged on auto log, the meter needs to be on full time, all other measurements can be measure WBGT)
Kestrel 5200: 10,000+ data points
Kestrel 5000/5500: 12,000 Data points
Kestrel 5400: 10,000+ Data points.
** WBGT and globe related functions will not be stored when the Kestrel is asleep. We do this because the globe related values require statistics over the previous 2-minutes. We made the call to disable these functions when asleep in order to conserve power. If it’s critical to record these values for extended periods of time (days), then the auto shutdown can be disabled to leave the unit powered on.
While you can turn off features for viewing on your Kestrel, they still log the data and count as a datapoint in the background. So for example, you can't turn off everything but temperature to get more temperature data points.
Based on these data points, here is what you can expect:
For the 5500, Data Logging every (all numbers are approximations):
- 2 Seconds - Will last 6.8 hours
- 30 Seconds - Will last 4.25 days
- 1 Minute - Will last 8.5 days
- 1 Hour - Will last 509 days
Reseting / Turning off/ Starting Min/Max/Avg:
Hit the red button -> Memory Options -> See options
Clear log / Reset MMA (Min/max/avg) without clearing log / Auto Store off to save battery and memory
When changing batteries will I lose my gun data in the AB files?
The answer is No with a caveat. The data is saved to memory once the unit is turned off. So if the customer enters a gun, never turns off the unit and then changes batteries, without first powering it down, that single gun entry will not be saved. The same can be said for a setting change.
Kestrel Drop:
DROP D1
Data Points: 13064
Logging every 2 seconds - Fills up after 7.5 hours
Logging every 10 minutes - Fills up after 90.7 days
Logging every 2 hours - Fills up after 544 days
DROP D2:
Data Points: 8165
Logging every 2 seconds - Fills up after 4.5 hours
Logging every 10 minutes - Fills up after 56.7 days
Logging every 2 hours - Fills up after 340 days.
DROP D3
Data Points: 6220
Logging every 2 seconds: Fills up after 3.4 hours
Logging every 10 minutes - Fills up after 43.2 days
Logging every 2 hours - Fills up after 259 days
The system as an over ride feature that will loop around and over ride the oldest data log.
How do you view it?
When the data has been entered, you can pick up your meter and view within the meter, see the graph for trends, or see exact time of each logged data point... simply press center button see when each was taken. The other option is to upload the log to your computer for viewing.